Alpha Ocean ✔

6.5 Affection

Naya's P.O.V.

 I noticed that everyone from the elite team, including the Betas, sat in the table closest to the food. 

The sparring group took a different table even though they all entered together. I missed Ocean's touch even though he was the only one left standing beside me.

"I'll be right there." He pointed towards his group. "I'll give you some moment to catch up." His hands twitched. Very aggressively he shoved them in this pockets. We walked up to the table together at the same time.

"Everyone's staring." I scooted closer to him subconsciously, trying to hide away from the prying eyes.

"They know I found my mate." I stopped in my tracks dumbfounded at his confession. 

"I delayed for two days. I was away for nearly 6 days, including travelling. That's nearly a week so I needed to give my enforcers and Steven a reason for that." His voice was soft and horse. This was the first time we were talking like adults.

"I want-"

"Come honey, I'll show you around." Livia linked her arm through mine and dragged me towards the stairs in the far end on the other side. 

I looked back to find him staring at me intently. He didn't take his eyes off me until I was going down the stairs by the kitchen near the back entrance. It felt familiar. 

Him watching me with longing. A very small image flashed through my mind.

  He looked much younger there. Like the pictures on the walls of his house, only his hair in my hallucination was shorter. He was standing amongst lockers. Like in a school. 

If I wasn't holding onto Livia, I would have fell.

She introduced me to Octavia, she was a delightful woman. With dark blue eyes, long strawberry blond hair and energetic smile. Lyon was with Ocean upstairs. 

They had two sons; one was training to be an enforcer and the other had the gift of art. I understood why we skipped the entrance to the first floor. It was lined with comfortable cots and blankets. 

Around 30 of them lined neatly in rows. A couple of them double, most of them single. Only 2 were being used. On the other end, a row of partitions was pushed up against the wall. 

Some of the partitions were already being used, hiding away the beds for privacy. Octavia oversaw the Refuge.

If wolves from other packs somehow ended up here, they had a place to stay until their pack security came to guard them back home. The ones that occupied beds were chased by hunters from the city. 

They were from Central Hemisphere who came on a holiday. It would be a while till they returned home but according to Octavia, Ocean had already contacted their Alpha and they were waiting for the tickets.

I was amazed by the dynamics of the community. Livia escorted me back up the stairs because she had an emergency in the kitchen. She hugged me quickly before putting on her kitchen net on her head.

Ocean immediately straightened his back motioning for me to sit down next to him. Two wide wooden beams were squished together to create the bench.

 The tables were similar but more beams. The cafeteria was buzzing with laughter and conversations when I came back upstairs.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked immediately. Instead of waiting for my answer, he looked at the man sitting opposite to him. In a semi-second he was on his feet.